Car suspension for balloons



R. S. BAMBERGER.

CAR SUSPENSION FOR BALLOONS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-4, I920.

1,41 9 ,205; Patented June 13, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1..

R. S BAMBERGER.

CAR SUSPENSION FOR BALLOONS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4. I920.

Patented June 13, 1922.

snEns-susn 2.

R. S. BAMBERGER.

CAR SUSPENSION FOR BALLOONS APPLICATION FILED SEPTA. I920.

Patented June 13, 1922.

a SHEE'VI'S-SHEET 3.

RAYMOND S. BAMIBERGER,

arena on ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA.

one susrnnsion non sermons.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMO D S. BAM- BERGER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Ross Field, Arcadia, in the county of Los An elesand State of California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Car Suspensions for Balloons, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to car suspension for balloons. The broad object ofthe present invention is to provide means for suspendin the car orbasket below the balloon whic will give an additional fact-or of safetyto the occupants of the car, produce a marked decrease of oscillationofthecar, permit increased accuracy of observation due to decrease ofoscillation, and increase'the availability of the balloon duringweatherwhich under presentconditions wouldprevent the taking ofobservations.

A further object of the invention is to materially increase thestabilizing'eifect on the car or basket and a reciprocal stabilizingeffect on the balloon itself, resulting in practicallyeliminatingeffects of nose dives and swaying of the balloon.

Under the arrangement hereinafter described and under both normal andabnormal conditions, the strain on'the balloon is more evenly divided,the motion of the car is translated from a pendulum motion to asubstantially horizontal motion, and a braking effect is obtained on thecar to decrease the fore and aft oscillations of the car withprogressively increasing resistance in the movement of the car towardthe fore and aft portions of theballoon. There is also an absence of thesickening oscillations when the balloon is being hauled in or when theballoon is suddenly stopped.

With the above and other objects in view my invention consists in thenovel construction, combination and arrangement herein fullydescribed,illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l'is a side elevation of the balloon and car showing the improvedcar suspension;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same; and

F 3 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the car or basketillustrating more clearly the salient features of the suspension.

The balloon indicated at 1 is shown as of the present military captiveor kite balloon type, generallyknown in military and naval circles asthe Caquot balloon, the same being Specification of Letters Patent.Patented June 13, 1922,

4, 1929. Serial No. 403,251.

illustrated as provided with the usual inflatable lobes or vanes 2 and3, 4 designating the car or basket of the balloon whichis suspendedbeneath the latter and secured thereto by the improved suspension. i

In carrying out the present invention the car or basket 4: is shown "inthe preferred embodiment thereof, the same beingof rectangular orcubical formation, comprising a bottom 5 and four sides 6 extendingupwardly therefrom. Flexible "cables 7 such as ropes, chains or wirecables extend diagonally across the bottom of the car and upwardly alongthe sides and preferably the corners of'the car as indicated at 8 topoints near the top of the basket where they have flexibly connectedthereto suspension pulley blocks 9 which are thus free to turnoroscillate to thejnecessary degree to provide for the running movementof said pulley blocks in relation to the suspension elements hereinafterreferred to. The cables 7 aresecurely anchored or fastened to the car inany desired way and provide an additional factor of safety in thesuspension'as a whole;

The pulley blocks 9 preferably have a swiveled connection 10 withtheupper extremities of the cables 7 and provide for what is hereinaftertermed the fore and aft car suspensions, thesaine consisting of flexiblemembers 11, such as cablesofrop'e or wire, said cables extending underthe pulley blocks 9 and two of each cables being employed, one at eachside of the car. After passing under the pulley blocks 9, the cables orfore and aft suspensionmembers .ll incline upwardly toward the front andrear portions of the balloon and also diverge transversely of theballoon fora purpose which will hereinafter appear. Thecables 11 are ofpredetermined'lengthin proportion to the size or general dimensions ofthe balloon and terminate at their opposite extremities in eyes 12 bymeans of which they are attached to the fore and aft bridles 13 and 14.The pulley blocks 9 and the lower runs of the cables 11 are located nearthe top of the basket'and therefore above the center of gravity of thebasket or car, so that the latter hangs freely and easily upon thecables 11 and is free to run in a foreand aft direction upon saidcables.

In addition to the fore and aft suspension, I employ amid-suspensionconsisting of one or more central cables 15 attached atthe upper end tothe mid ship bridlelfi and' attached at the lower end to the oppositeextremities of the mid suspension bar 17 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.Extending downwardly from the suspension bar'l? are other flexiblesuspension members 18, four of such members being shown and the samebeing connected at their lower extremities to eyes 19 or the equivalentthereof preferably located at the upper corners of the car 4. i

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it will now be observed that the car 4 is supported by themid-suspension and fore and aft suspensions, the mid suspensionsupporting the car directly beneath the approximate center of theballoon while the fore and aft suspensions additionally support the carand tend to maintain the same in a position centrally beneath theballoon. However, as the car -1- moves in a fore and aft direction, thepulley blocks 9 are free to run along the fore and aft suspensionmembers 11 and by reason of the particular relation between said members11 and the car, the horizontality of the car is maintained. Furthermore,by reason of the divergence of the members 11 between the carand theballoon, said members 11 act as a braking means to check withprogressively increasing resistance the forward and rearward movementsof the car in relation to the balloon beneath which it is suspended.

In the ordinary method of basket or car suspension, the fore and aft andthe mid car suspensions all meet on the suspension bar 17. This causesthe car to have as a matter of fact, only one pointof suspension andconsequently in a choppy wind or at. any time when the balloon is notriding with perfect steadiness the car or basket swings in exactly thesame manner as a pendulum. \Vith the improved rigging a four pointsuspension is obtained and such swinging movement is eliminated, the carsimply running back and forth on the fore and aft suspensions which maybe said to be continuous or connected together. The floor of the car,therefore, always remains parallel to the surface of the earth. Sideswaying is entirely absent under the improved rigging and in fact it isquite impossible for the occupants of the car to force it to sway fromside to side. lVith the ordinary car suspension, the occupantexperiences a sickening drop or jerk when the balloon is starteddownwardly by the hauling down apparatus or winch; with the new rigging,the occupant gets no sensation; he is unable even to determine when thedescent begins. In the event of the balloon breaking loose and the noseof the balloon riding high, the-entire weight of the car does not goupon the forward suspension as in the present system, but the weightwill remain distributed upon the three suspension. Furthermore, theimproved rigging does not interfere in any way with the use of thepresent parachutes. The improved rigging or suspension produces anadditional factor of safety, a marked decrease of oscillation, increasedaccuracy of observation and availability during weather which is nowprohibitive with the ordinary rigging or suspension. There is also anoticeable stabilizing effect of the car on the balloon and converselythe balloon on the car; practically eliminating the effects of anytendency towards nose diving.

The fore and aft suspensions auto1natically take up the fore and aftmovements of the car with progressively increasing resistance and theeyes 12 form stops for limiting the extent of movement of the car in afore and aft direction in relation to the balloon. Breakage of themidsuspension would result in the balloon being held on the combined foreand aft suspensions at four points. Under both normal and abnormalconditionsthe strain is more evenly divided on the rigging than with thepresent type of suspension and the motion of the car or hasket istranslated from a pendulum motion to a horizontal motion, the bottom ofthe car being kept practically in a plane parallel to the surface of theground.

What I claim is:

1. In car suspension for balloons, the combination of a balloon, a car,and means for suspending the car from the balloon, comprising fore andaft suspensions having a supporting and running connection with the carwholly above the center of gravity of the car, said suspensionsdiverging transversely and upwardly and serving as braking means ofprogressively increasing resistance to the movement of the car away fromits normal position.

2. In car suspension for balloons, the combination of a balloon, a car,pulleys on'the car arranged in quadrangular formation, and means forsuspending the car from the balloon, said means comprising a mid-carsuspension, and fore and aft guiding suspensions having a supporting andrunning connection with the car and each comprising flexible ropes whichdiverge from said pulleys all the way to the balloon and serve brakingmeans of progressively increasing resistance to the movement of the caraway from its normal position. i

3. In car suspension for balloons, the combination of a balloon, a car,and means for suspending the car from the balloon. said means comprisinginclined fore and aft suspensions having a running and supportingconnection with the car and comprising flexible members which divergetransversely of and toward the end portions of the balloon, and the carhaving swiveled pulley blocks movable along said flexible members.

4:. In car suspension for balloons, the combination of a balloon, a carof basket formation having a bottom and sides, flexible cables crossingeach other diagonally of the bottom of the car and extending up thesides thereof, suspension pulley blocks having a flexible connectionWith the last named portions of said cables, and means for suspendingthe car from the balloon embodying flexible suspension membersterminally connected with the fore and aft portions of the balloon andhaving a running relation to said pulley blocks.

5. In car suspension for balloons, the combination of a balloon, a carof basket formation having a bottom and sides, flexible cables crossingeach other diagonally of the bottom of the car and extending up thesides thereof, suspension pulley blocks having a flexible connectionwith the last named portions of said cables, and means for suspendingthe car from the balloon embodying flexible suspension membersterminally connected With the fore and aftportions of the balloon andhaving a running relation to said pulley blocks, said flexiblesuspension members extending in a fore and aft direction With respect tothe balloon and diverging transversely of the balloon from the cartoward the balloon.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

RAYMOND S. BAMBERGER.

